ch221-ch240 · 234-ch234
Chapter 234: The Newbie Repays Her Debt
"What are you even saying? No way someone like Haruki has a chance with Kasumi?"
Well, you're not wrong there......
"Other way around, ssu. It's Watanabe-san who's hopelessly, desperately in love, ssu."
"No, no—it's Haruki misreading a little kindness, obviously. Right, you three?"
"......"
"Hey! Then what happens to Miyako?! Don't tell me he's two-timing her?! I won't stand for that!"
No, there's no fixing this one.
But this current is dangerous......
"Um, actually, that one's the misunderstanding. Mia-san's been denying it this whole time, hasn't she?"
Aikawa answers.
Some backup, please. Anybody.
"Now that you mention it...... so I had it backwards? But something's off here. Kasumi said to use this job to size Haruki up, and......"
"I believe that means whether Haru-kun is worthy of Watanabe-san, ssu?"
"Ohhh. I see—so THAT'S the deal...... So Miyako never had a lover...... Was that a good thing or a bad thing...... Well, Kasumi did say she's getting married...... No, WAIT! Haruki's a high schooler, isn't he?! You intend to MARRY a high schooler?! Dating a high schooler is a crime to begin with!"
She never rests, does she.
Besides, Kasumi-san and I are in a perfectly wholesome, parent-approved relationship, so there's no problem whatsoever, you know?
"Right, ssu. A criminal, ssu. Lately the one-upping from girls with young boyfriends has been absolutely savage, ssu. Just the day before yesterday someone told me, 'Good thing yours won't be long-distance, right?', ssu. I refuse to lose, ssu. Anego-san, introduce me to a Triple-Rank adventurer, ssu!"
Seems the newbie doesn't have a boyfriend.
And she's pretty AND funny, too.
It's just—her timing is terrible......
No long-distance romance for her, but a successful long-distance JOB—go find yourself a nice man in Aomori.
"Don't date adventurers, she says...... Haaah. Somehow I've stopped caring...... Why did I even come here?"
Anego-san looks utterly drained.
Well, at least the misunderstanding got cleared up.
In the worst case, I'd been ready to get misread as a two-timer and flee solo through 【Gate】—but it seems I can head home without incident.
Thanks to the newbie, maybe?
"Back to the party thing, though—Anego-san, why not come to Chiba? You'd be more than welcome with us."
Soushi just had to reopen it.
It got brushed under the rug, so you should have just waved her off!
But it's not a bad offer...... I guess?
She's Triple-Rank, and I'm sure there's plenty she could teach us......
"Soushi, you're sweet...... Oh, right, we were talking about the party. Not straight away—this is for after the New Dungeon survey wraps up. It's like—I want proof that I really lived as an adventurer, you know? Not that they'd be 'memories' or anything, but I've got this itch to do something BIG. The survey should finish in three months, tops. After that—how about we take on a new dungeon together? You'll all be done with school by then. Perfect timing, no?"
Another dungeon, huh......
True, nothing's possible before graduation.
And the New Dungeon.
That one, I'm sitting out, I think.
It sounds like the most "adventurer" thing there is, and honestly fun......
But I can't exactly put my hand up as a Triple-Rank.
The end-of-October deadline would be easy pickings for Soushi and the others, though......
"Hmm. Our party sort of depends on Watanabe-san. It's a little hard to answer for her on our own."
Aikawa has a point.
What will Kasumi-san say......
"Ahh, Kasumi, huh...... Huh? Oh—this is perfect. If I'm partying with Kasumi, won't she cooperate on all sorts of things? Like, in exchange for me training Haruki up? Right—Haruki! From today on, you call me Shishou."
No—I already have a master, thank you very much.
"That'll backfire, ssu. You'd be better off planning to stay away from her, ssu."
"What's THAT supposed to mean! Tch. Fine—we go home and report to Kasumi. Haruki FAILED his evaluation, so I'm going to retrain him into a man worthy of her! That's the line we take!"
Stop running off with the story all by yourself......
"Say 'fail' and she'll launch you clean into orbit, ssu. She'll be standing by to sue, ssu. This is going to be a catastrophe, ssu."
No—Kasumi-san doesn't do things like that, you know?
"Anego-san, the newbie's right. Don't say 'fail'—go with something like 'pass, with conditions.' Like, 'lovely personality, but lacks strength.' Or, 'needs more experience.' You wouldn't like it either if someone ran down the person YOU love, would you?"
Even Aikawa is......
"Huh? I don't think I said anything BAD, though? Well, fine, I take your point. So I praise Haruki, then?"
︙
︙
"Floor 1, ssuu! Thank you, everyone, ssu. And thank you too, Anego-san, for coming along even though it had nothing to do with you, ssu. I won't forget this debt, ssu!"
Evening, and we're back on Floor 1.
It's past five, so Kasumi-san should already be off work.
Is she over at Mia-san's shop, I wonder?
"Drama queen, you are. You don't owe me a thing—just practice your bow. You went and took that sub-job; if your arrows stop landing, it's all for nothing."
On the way back, the newbie tried out her new 【Heavy Bow User】 skills—and her arrows stopped hitting.
With 【Charge・Bow】 and MP banked up, the arrows get accelerated, it turns out.
They fly differently from anything she's used to, so without practice she just can't land them.
There should be a 【Homing】-type skill in there somewhere, but she's already spent her points on the super-mode bow skills, so she's come up short, apparently.
Well, nothing for it but practice.
In any case, we made it back safe and sound—one report at the counter, and the first request is complete.